The National Police Service (NPS) has launched investigations into claims of a section of its officers obstructing journalists who were covering the violent Majengo protests on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
Police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga, in a statement issued via the NPS official social media accounts, condemned the incident, noting that the circumstances surrounding it were already under investigation.
“The attention of the National Police Service has been drawn to a photograph circulating on both mainstream and social media, which alleges that police officers interfered with journalists performing their duties today. As a service, we are gravely concerned and strongly condemn such misconduct. The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation,” Muchiri stated.
Muchiri went ahead to state that the police service is committed to safeguarding and promoting media freedom and protecting journalists.
He further gave an assurance to the public that firm and decisive action will be taken against any officer found to have engaged in misconduct during the Majengo protests.
“The National Police Service maintains a cordial relationship with the media and is committed to safeguarding and promoting media freedom, as well as protecting journalists in Kenya, in line with the Constitution and international standards. NPS wishes to reassure the public that firm and decisive action will be taken against any officer found to have engaged in misconduct,” he stated.
Police blocks photographer
The police statement comes after a photo showing a police officer blocking a photographer from accessing his camera went viral on social media.
There were also claims of another officer deleting footage recorded by journalists during the Wednesday protests at the Majengo area in Nairobi.
Tensions flared late Tuesday night when two plainclothes police officers pursued a 17-year-old suspected of carrying bhang in the Majengo Gorofani area.
Majengo protests
According to eyewitness accounts, the officers faced resistance from a group of young men who intervened, pelting them with stones and attacking them with crude weapons.
In response, the officers discharged their firearms into the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
Amid the commotion, a young man was shot and rushed to the hospital.
By early Wednesday morning, the situation escalated when the injured individual, said to be the same teenager carrying the illicit substance, was pronounced dead.
News of his passing quickly spread throughout the community, triggering renewed anger among residents.
By dawn, protestors had blocked roads in Shauri Moyo and Majengo with burning tyres and debris, voicing their outrage.
The Kenya Red Cross reported on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, that its first responders had attended to 37 casualties, with two critically injured individuals transported to Kenyatta National Hospital and Pumwani Maternity Hospital for urgent medical care.
